


The Demon Tamers Guild

by CryptidKeeper (ThatTurtle)



Series: The Demon Tamers Guild [1]
Category: Shin Megami Tensei Series
Genre: Gen, Mothman, Slice of Life, demon busters, demon tamers, various shin Megami Tensei demons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-21
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-15 16:13:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 6,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/851492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatTurtle/pseuds/CryptidKeeper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one shots set in a Shin Megami Tensei universe, centered around a guild of demon tamers. Loosely based off a "what if" scenario set after Atsuro's ending in Devil Survivor and partially inspired by Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine. Mostly slice of life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Black Dog

Fenrir napped in the corner of the guild’s lounge. Emily sat on the couch reading another book about demons. Mothman peeked over her shoulder. At the other end of the couch, Akira fiddled with his COMP.

Fenrir growled in his sleep. The cryptid jumped.

“He really is like a dog…” Vasquez murmured, turning a page.

“He’s a wolf.” Akira corrected politely.

“I know. But he likes hanging around you, he tries to mooch table scraps, and he sleeps in your bed. Dude, Fenrir acts like a dog.”

Said beast snarled in his slumber. There was an unceremonious RIP as he tore into his pillow.

Emily and Akira cringed too that time.

“What kinda dog makes sounds like that?” Mothman squeaked.

“A demon dog.” Emily grinned rather smugly.

“Fenrir.” The male tamer groaned. Cotton stuffing rained down. “Okay, fine. He’s an overgrown dog.” He agreed.


	2. Boring Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief history about demon tamer Emily Vasquez and her demonic companion.

Once, in a world not too different from this one, there was a girl. There was nothing particularly interesting or out of the ordinary about her. This boring child grew up in a world full of strange and often nightmarish creatures.

One day, she spoke to a demon. The peculiar little monster was a bit more civil than most of the others she had heard about. He didn’t look particularly monstrous either. He called himself a cryptid. The girl, who had grown up to be a demon tamer, decided to form a contract with the sociable little cryptid.

“I’m the Wilder demon, Mothman. Nice to meet you.” He chirped.

“My name is Emily Vasquez. I look forward to working with you.” The girl murmured.


	3. Weird Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An incident from Akira Yoshiyuki's later childhood. (Aka how he got stuck with one of his oldest demons.)

The rookie demon tamer couldn’t have been more than 14 years old. He began unlocking his bike from the bicycle rack. An immature looking Inugami floated along beside him. The boy didn’t stand out very much at first glance. But upon further inspection it seemed that his eyes were gold.

The lad jumped back as his bike began to float off the ground. 

_OOO!_ An eerie groan echoed through the air.

“What the hell?” He muttered.

Inugami let out a low growl.

The tamer made a “peace sign” with his left hand, then brought his index and middle finger together.

“Bufu.” He calmly announced. His attack burst near the invisible entity.

Gah!

The creature materialized.

“Poltergeist.” The dog demon breathed.

“I know.” His master snapped, rolling his eyes.

“Fire breath.” The child instructed coldly.

Inugami opened his mouth and exhaled a small flame.

Poltergeist shrieked.

Inugami took a deep breath, prepared to finish the pest off.

The little ghost threw itself at the human’s feet. “I-I’m sorry! I surrender. Please spare me!”

The dog paused and glanced at his master expectantly.

The raven hesitated for a moment.

“Let him go.” He ordered.

”You’re certain?” The dog asked.

“Yeah. There’s no need to kill him. He didn’t hurt anyone.”

He turned to the small phantom.

“Hey, Poltergeist. No tricks, right?” The wary question almost sounded like a statement.

”Nope! Thanks for letting me go, human.” Poltergeist gratefully assured the merciful child.

“I’m Akira Yoshiyuki.” The boy introduced himself. “Would you be willing to make a contract with me?” He proposed.

“Hm… Okay. I guess I’ll be your demon.” The blue green ghost agreed.

Akira’s COMP played its notification. He opened the message. _Ghost Poltergeist has formed a contract with Akira Yoshiyuki [Ayu-kashi]!_  
Poltergeist disappeared into the COMP in a flash of pale blue light.

“Hey, kid.” A young woman called.

“Wha?” Yoshiyuki mumbled, glancing around.

“Up here!” She sighed.

He gazed up at the tree.

An older girl, probably in her late teens or early twenties, leapt from the tree and gracefully landed before him.

“I saw the little incident with that pesky Poltergeist. You’re so cute, taking pity on an obnoxious demon.”

Akira blinked a few times. His eyes widened. He tried very hard not to stare at the young woman.

“You’re a-” His mouth went dry.

Her wings flexed.

“I’m a demon, silly boy.” She giggled. The woman brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m Night Succubus. Nice meeting you, Akira Yoshiyuki.”

The raven was utterly stumped as to why the demon lady was even speaking to him.

“You’re sweet but you’re also soft and naive. The strong prey on those weaker than them. Your dog wouldn’t have hesitated to eat that ghost for breakfast. That pipsqueak was obnoxious. It would’ve been his own fault if he got wiped out.

You only decided to spare him because you’re still soft. But then you saw an opportunity and used it to your advantage. You’re a strange kid. I like you. I wonder how far you’ll go… You probably won’t last long on your own, little tamer. Plenty of demons will repay mercy with a stab in the back.”

“Are you going somewhere with this, lady?” Yoshiyuki asked.

“Hm… Well, you’re not strong enough to make a contract with me just yet. But I wouldn’t mind sticking around and waiting till you are. I could help you out, then you could officially contract me some day. How does that sound?”

“Why?” The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Because you’re so simple and cute.” She patted him on the head. “I wanna see if you stay that way or grow up to be cynical and cold. It’ll give me something to do. I’m bored.” She admitted.

“So you’ll basically be my demon in all but name until I can be your official tamer.”

“Yeah~ So, what d’you say?”

“Sure.” Akira shrugged.

“Great! I’ll be like your teacher.” Succubus beamed.

Akira Yoshiyuki desperately hoped he would not regret befriending the demoness.


	4. Something Fuzzy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vasquez just wants to sleep.

Emily shivered. She pulled the quilt up. Her bony fingers brushed against something fuzzy. In her groggy stupor, she recognized her demon. Vasquez assumed the cryptid was merely cold. The tamer drew him close and covered him with part of a blanket. Mothman chirped gratefully and let his head get tucked under her chin. He glanced up at her but she was already sleeping. It wasn’t long before the demon fell asleep, too.

…

The wilder's antenna swayed and twitched. He stirred.

Mothman blinked. “Hey.” He whispered.

Vasquez didn’t hear.

“Hey, wake up. Just sit up and look out the window.”

He lightly flicked her in the face with one of his antenna.

“Dammit, what’s so important?” She muttered.

Mothman wiggled free and fluttered over to the window.   
“Snow.” He announced in awe, red eyes shining.

Emily grinned. “Alright. Lemme get dressed then we’ll go outside.”


	5. Discussion of Motivation

Akira Yoshiyuki trudged into the guild. The boy collapsed on the couch. He coughed and closed his eyes.

“Akira!” Emily greeted her companion. “Hey, are you alright?”

“I think I bruised a rib or something. I’ll be okay. Pyro Jack cast Diarama. I’m just sore.” His gold eyes opened a crack. He glanced around.

“Where is everybody?” The raven croaked.

“They’re all on missions. I finished early and came back.” Vasquez explained.

The black and blue splotch on his upper arm made her want to cringe.

“Lemme get you some ice.” She dashed to the freezer and returned a moment later with a plastic bag full of ice.

“Thanks.” Yoshiyuki winced as he placed it on the bruise.

Emily sat down on the floor and leaned against the couch.

The teens were silent for a while but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Vasquez, may I ask you something personal?”

The brunette glanced up at him. She turned around and nodded. “Hm?”

“What made you want to be a demon tamer?”

Vasquez bit her lip and thought for a moment. “I dunno. I looked up to my sister when I was young. I guess I decided that I wanted to make friends with demons, too. What about you?”

Akira grew quite. “A long time ago, I was almost attacked by a demon. I was terrified. A junior officer from the local disciplinary committee union saved me. She had an Angel with her…” He murmured. “I decided I didn’t want to feel helpless like that ever again. I want to help people, like she did for me.”

“See, you had a good reason. I don’t really have a noble motivation.”

“I don’t care what your motivation is.” He shrugged. “All that matters is you do your job well.”

“Heh, thanks Leader.” Vasquez chuckled. She leaned back.

“Is there any particular reason you’re sitting on the floor?” Yoshiyuki raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t wanna make you move. You look beat. I’m gonna go check on Mothy. He volunteered to man mission control so I could take a quick break. Later.” The brunette called over her shoulder as she dashed to the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I kinda planned for Akira to either not have a surname or for everybody to just act like he didn’t/never use it. I don't know why. This was actually the first one shot that mentioned his surname.


	6. Bright Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the boss really should know better by now.

Vasquez’s bedroom door was open slightly. It was before 7 am.

Mamori walked by and realized how odd it was for his subordinate to leave her door open.

He peeked in. Emily Vasquez lay face down in the middle of the floor. Mothman hung upside down from that chin up bar/perch Emily had installed for him.

Takeshi blinked then facepalmed. He briefly wondered if the girl was unconscious. The president of the guild quietly made his way over to the window and opened the blinds.

“Vasquez, you should go to bed.” He murmured. “It’s not good to spend the entire night sleeping down here.”

Emily stirred.

“Hm?” The brunette murmured.

She blinked blearily and lifted her head.

Mamori swore he saw her pupils constrict.

“OI! FUCK!” She cursed rather loudly.

Mothman was startled enough that he lost his grip and fell from the ceiling. He landed on her back.

Vasquez was still too sleepy to process what had just happened and yelped.

“What the hell?!”

She continued yelling for no apparent reason.

Mothman joined her and screeched at the sunlight invading their dim sanctuary.

Mamori groaned and rubbed his temples. He picked the cryptid up and set him on his feet. He extended a hand and pulled Emily up.

“I’m sorry I forgot you have an intolerance for natural light. Please stop screaming.” The man begged.

He closed the blinds.

Girl and demon went silent.

Emily strode to the bed. Mothman fluttered after her and landed beside her.

Takeshi sighed. “I really am sorry about that. Good night.” He started to close the door behind him.

“Goodbye.” The demon replied. His tamer was still incoherent and not in the mood to have a civil conversation after such an awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mamori is the boss, for lack of a better word. He's the official leader of the guild. Akira might give orders in combat situations but he answers to Mamori. Oh, the chapter title is a reference to another friendly little monster.


	7. Zio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another snippet from Vasquez's rookie days. Emphasis on Mothman's perspective.

Mothman blinked. It had been less than a month since he made a contract with the human girl Emily Vasquez. She wasn’t the most talkative child but she treated him well. 

"Good job." Vasquez praised him as the last of the enemy Vidofnir succumbed to Mazan.

She patted him on the head. He let out a content sound somewhere between a chatter and a purr.

"Don’t celebrate just yet." The blond kid’s voice came from that COMP thing Emily carried around.

The girl opened the device.

"Suoh? What’s up?" She asked.

"Some Nue just ambushed us. Damn things ran off."

"Alright. I’ll keep an eye out for them." Vasquez assured him. She hung up.

"We should be careful." The brunette glanced down at the demon. He nodded.

"And speak of the devil…" She muttered.

She dodged another Vidofnir and swung her spear at it.

A Nue hit Mothman with Ziodyne. The cryptid screeched.

Emily glared at the beasts.

Mothman was breathing hard. He staggered to his feet. His antenna drooped. The wilder was exhausted. He didn’t think he would survive another blow like that.

Vasquez fumbled with the COMP. She was going to summon a demon.

Another Ziodyne sliced through the air.

Mothman cringed. There was a crackling and a slight grunt. His large red eyes opened. The girl was protectively standing in front of him. There was a still a bit of smoke trailing off of her hoodie.

"But why? Why did you save me?"

Emily took a moment to catch her breath.

“‘Cause you’re my demon. That’s what a tamer should do. I can’t expect you guys to follow orders if I don’t value your safety and comfort. It’s not fair to you. Besides, lightning doesn’t hurt much."

She cleared her throat.

"Nekomata, help!"

In a flash of light, the cat woman manifested.

Emily ducked over her cryptid. Nekomata leaped over them and fired off Maragi before getting close enough to use Multi-Strike.

"Thanks." Vasquez sighed.

"No problem." The cat grinned behind her muzzle.

"Why do all these electric demons keep showing up?" Emily hissed.

"Aren’t they opening up another power plant today?" Nekomata yawned.

Emily’s palm met her face. “That would make sense."

"There shouldn’t be anymore for a while." The cat mused.

"Let’s go home." Emily announced. Her shoulders sagged in fatigue.

Mothman cast Media. The girl scooped him up and headed for the Terminal. Nekomata ran after her.


	8. Wannabe Chessmaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boss gives Akira and Emily a request. Succubus and Mothman tag along with their tamers.

Akira Yoshiyuki and Emily Vasquez made their way to the guild’s VR room.

The girl had taken the precaution of wearing her better armor. It was sturdy enough to protect her but light enough not to hinder her agility. The armor consisted of a metallic sleeveless garment, gloves, arm guards, and shin guards over her usual clothes. She was insistent that certain joints remain unprotected. Her handgun was stashed in its holster (along with some ammo) on her belt.

Akira’s own armor was a bit bulkier. It included shoulder coverage. His greater strength allowed him to maneuver in the heavier gear. He wore his sheathed sword on his back.

"Vasquez… I know Boss man asked us to run this new sim, but do you know who actually programmed it?"

"I’m pretty sure this is Suoh’s work." Emily mused.

Akira paled.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun." Succubus chuckled wryly.

"We’re gonna die." Mothman chirped calmly. He paused for a brief moment. His antenna shot up.

"Oh, that’s bad, isn’t it?"

"It’s probably something gimmicky that just uses fear tactics." Emily shrugged.

"That ass." Akira muttered.

"Well, you know he has a big ego. Why not get revenge by acing this sim?" Succubus offered.

"Show him he’s not the brilliant chess master he thinks he is." The demoness smirked.

Akira nodded. “I won’t give up."

_Warning! Combat Simulation #2589 titled ‘Welcome to the nightmare, punks’ is starting._

"My, that sounds fun." Vasquez deadpanned.

"Oh no." Yoshiyuki groaned.

In a puff of smoke, their opponent appeared.

"Freakin’ necromancer…" The boy growled. His eyes widened fearfully.

"Remind me to sic Inugami on our dear Sempai later." The raven muttered.

He summoned Biliken from the COMP. The little fiend perched on his master’s shoulders.

"Good thing you bought Quetzalcoatl back." Mothman noted, peeking at the girl’s COMP.

"Yup. I wouldn’t be so calm about this if I hadn’t." Emily explained with a smug grin.

"Let’s get this over with." Akira frowned.

"Understood." Emily saluted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The demon the VR summoned is Nebiros, in case that was too vague. This vignette ended rather abruptly. Oh well.


	9. Doppelgänger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Does this remind you of anything?' (Hint: It sounds like something from Persona rather than Devil Survivor or Imagine.)  
> This chapter is a bit bloodier than the other ones.

Zeke Rin Suoh glared down at the young looking girl before him.

"That’d be an exercise in futility, ya know? Doppelgänger’s stats and skills are based on yours. It can summon any demon you’ve contracted. It looks like you and it knows how you think; how you fight. It knows your insecurities and shortcomings. Doppelgänger is vicious. It will try its damnedest to turn your every resource against you. There’s no guarantee it won’t kill you. The worst part it looks so authentic it can confuse your demons."

"I understand. I freely accept my fate." Emily Vasquez calmly replied. “I need to see my own weaknesses and find a way to compensate for them. I want to get stronger."

"…Fine. I’m gonna be outside the VR room. If you look like you’re getting maimed I’ll kill the sim." The blond relented.

"Alright." She nodded.

"And be careful about which demons go with you. Make sure they can identify you by smell and pick up subtleties in your voice."

She saluted.

"Dammit, Vasquez, I’m serious. If they can’t do that, your demons may mistake you for the enemy and turn on you." He scowled.

"I’ll go get ready."

Mothman sniffed her wrist guard then her hair for a solid minute.

"Just making sure I’ll recognize you. You smell like clean laundry."

"Ooookay then." Emily looked slightly concerned.

Pazuzu folded his arms.

Suoh raised an eyebrow.

"I see you summoned Mr. Dark-Law lion again, eh? And… uh… The fairy lady who gave King Arthur the sword. Damn, pulling out the big guns, huh?"

"Go big or go home!" Mothman exclaimed.

Quetzalcoatl nodded in agreement.

Zeke blinked. He always seemed to forget that Vasquez had contracted the snake. He could understand keeping the chaotic neutral Decarabia around, however.

"What the- when did you get Chernobog?!"

"Go big or go home!" Mothman repeated.

Vasquez quietly recalled all the demons except for the wilder.

"You practically maxed out Mothbro’s Mag! How many Mitama’s did that take?!"

"Go big or go home, dammit!" The cryptid screeched more forcefully.

Vasquez made an odd expression and calmly patted her demon on the head like a child.

"Don’t underestimate Mothman. Especially mine. He can understand my commands without the COMP translating. Let’s go, Mothy."

Suoh wasn’t quite sure what exactly happened but there was a lot of commotion. Emily screamed something that sounded like “That’s not me!"

Pazuzu growled. Mothman shrieked. The demon sounds and shouting continued for a few more minutes but died down. It was eerily quiet.

He became aware of a rapid tapping.

"Move it!" Vivian ordered.

"Stop." Chernobog warned. “Her wounds are severe."

"Doesn’t matter!" Vivian snapped. “We can properly heal everyone after we get out of here."

Suoh muttered under his breath, “You better not try to break out. This thing costs an arm and a leg to fix."

He pressed his palm against the scanner beside the door and tapped the “STOP" button. 

The simulation instantly ended.

He blinked.

All of her demons were still conscious, but they were pretty battered. Pazuzu clutched his arm. One of his wings was limp. Vivian was breathing hard. Her hands were bleeding. Decarabia’s eye was half closed. The star didn’t even have the energy to levitate himself off the ground. Quetzalcoatl rested beside him. The snake was curled up.

Chernobog seemed to be in better condition. Zeke realized he was probably just able to hide his injuries better.

It seemed that Emily had collapsed and while Chernobog managed to catch her, he didn’t want to pick her up. She was still on her feet but the Omega was supporting most of her weight. Something protruded from the girl’s side. Just like Vivian, her hands bled.

"How are you still alive?" Pazuzu rasped. “Stubborn human…" He muttered.

Mothman cheeped worriedly. Blood matted his blue-gray fur.

Suoh almost jumped.

"Most of this isn’t mine." Mothman explained.

"Hang in there." Zeke pleaded.

He summoned a demon of his own.

Emily weakly reached for the spear in her side. Chernobog wrenched it out for her. Her eyes watered. She stifled a whimper with a hand over her mouth.

"Kali, use Prayer." The older tamer blurted.

The Femme complied.

"What was up with the bloody hands?" The blond asked.

"Some demons use their mouths to cast magic skills. Humans almost always use their hands. Emily over exerted herself. If you overdo it, you may find yourself coughing up blood or bleeding from the palm or fingers. It’s morbid but it doesn’t happen very often. Usually." Vivian explained.

"We’ll beat it next time." Emily vowed.

Mothman nudged her hand with his head.

"Maybe you should wait til these scars are healed before getting any more."

Zeke finally understood how the cryptid ended up splattered in blood. The realization made him a bit nauseous with guilt. He decided to do a better job of discouraging his companions from fighting their Doppelgängers alone.


	10. Lunacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Strange Journey, the demons act... strange... during full moons. I bet the demon tamer guilds have their hands full (no pun intended) during full moons. The demons act slightly intoxicated. For the night owls it's mildly amusing. For everybody else it's just annoying. (An attempt at humor.)

Succubus loomed over Akira’s bed. “‘Kira, ‘Kira let’s go to that 24-hour diner."

Akira was half-asleep and mumbled “Wha’? Why?"

Succubus had an eerie glint in her eyes and a manic grin on her face. “C’mon. Let’s go order like 27 milkshakes."

Akira had no tolerance for his surrogate mother figure acting like a lunatic. “I’m not going outside wearing my pajamas." He rolled over and went back to sleep. Or attempted to.

Succubus threw his jacket at him. “Pft, who bothers getting dressed for midnight milkshake runs, dude? Just put on your jacket and your boots. Here, don’t forget your COMP."

Yoshiyuki covered his head with the pillow.

"Dammit, woman, some of us have school in the morning."

There was a bizarre whining grunt. Sort of like what a dog imitating a horse might sound like. It sounded completely unnatural. Akira practically jumped out of his skin then calmed down when he realized it was only Fenrir.

"Tomorrow Saturday." The ~~big dog~~ wolf boomed.

"Yeah, for once." The boy muttered. His companions sometimes tried to convince him to join their lunacy driven late night excursions even if it was a school night.

"Thor, Odin and Freyr get days named after them. Why not father or sister? They Norse dee-i-teeees too."

Succubus giggled. “‘Cause your old man done goofed. And death gods an’ goddesses are kinda taboo for humans."

"If you guys don’t quite down and leave me out of your lunacy I swear I’m gonna send you over to Emily." Akira threatened.

Meanwhile, at the Vasquez ~~house~~ room…

Mothman dropped from his perch. He head butted Emily in the ribs when he landed. Her shoulders twitched.

"Fullmoon!" Mothman announced with an excited screech.

"Y-yes, I’m well aware." The girl replied.

"So pretty~! Didn’t humans think it was made outta cheese? That’s dumb. Your people were dumb. Why would the rabbits wanna live on a giant ball of moldy cheese? Yuck!" The cryptid rambled.

Vasquez forced herself not to laugh at the absurdity.

"If it really were made outta cheese the lord of the flies would’ve infested it by now anyway."

Emily raised an eyebrow. Her demon was being almost humorously calm about the morbid notion.

"Can we borrow a rocket thing?" He interrupted her thoughts. His voice was childishly earnest.

The brunette realized he was being sincere.

"No, stealing is bad, remember?"

"Oh." He paused.

"But what if we brought it back after?"

"No. I’d end up in… juvenile hall and they’d take you away. I’d lose my tamer license. I’m 17, man, they might try me as an adult."

"Aww…" Mothman howled.

"Dude, hush." She groaned. “There’s a rocket near the convenience store. I’ll take you there soon, okay?"

"Like tonight?"

"No!"

"Aw…"

"Nekomata! Wh-what the-" Emily sputtered. The cat woman was tangled up in the cords for the Playstation 2. 

"I wanna play DDR." Nekomata complained. 

"Jeez…" The human girl muttered. She went to assist her companion. 

There was a loud crash.

"ATTIS! HOLY SHI WHERE DID YOU EVEN COME FROM?" 

"Akira Yoshiyuki, are you aware it is a full moon this glorious night?"

"Yes, you unhinged zealot! Where did you come from? Why are you here?" 

"The floor below. I am bored. I challenge you to a duel, Akira Yoshiyuki."

"Mr. Law-butt’ll give you both an earful." Succubus rolled her eyes.

"Besides, how’s it fair for a scrawny li’l human teenager for to go up against a freaking god? You’re like three thousand years old. He’d kick your butt into next week, old man." She added cockily.

"Succubus, are you trying to get him to kill me?" Akira hissed. 

"Hey, Attis!" Nekomata hollered. “The kid set up the game!"

The Zealot forgot about challenging his tamer to a duel and left the room.

Emily dragged a blanket and pillow down the hall.

"Yo, Vasquez." The raven called softly. “You wanna crash in the safe room?"

"Sure." She nodded wearily. 

He grabbed his pillow and walked with her to an unused room full of bunk beds. The rest of the guild was already present, save for Zeke.

"Any tamer in the guild is free to spend the night in here as long as one is quite. If there’s somehow a demon miraculously unaffected by the full moon, it’s allowed to seek sanctuary in here." Mamori announced.

"Where’s Suoh?" Akira asked.

"He’s probably still in his room, right?" Emily replied.

"He’ll be fine. If he wants to avoid the crazy demons he knows where to go." Sage dismissed the concern.

"Um." Vasquez hesitated. “Isn’t he with Skogsra?"

"It’s not like she’s gonna eat him." The older girl rolled her eyes.

Nana sat up and put her book down.

"I’ll be right back." She announced. She quietly ran down the hall.

"C’mon. It’s almost 3 am. Time to go to sleep."

"Tch, sleep is for the weak. I’m fine."

There was scuffling and Zeke started yelling.

"Usagi! You-! Put me down or I’ll bite you! With my freaking fangs!" He howled. Nana dragged him into the safe room. She had partially draped him over her shoulders.

"Calm down ya imp!" She snapped. “Skogsra’s gonna have to live without you for one night, deal with it."

She patted him on the head. “I’m sure she knows better than to assume you abandoned her. Besides, doesn’t Kudlak get less picky about what he bites during a full moon?"

Zeke let out an annoyed huff and climbed into an empty top bunk. He curled up and sulked.

"Alright, it’s very late. Let’s try to get some sleep. Lights out in the next five minutes." Mamori warned.

…

Akira woke up in his own bed.

"Morning ‘Kira." Succubus greeted him. She leaned back in her chair and took another sip of coffee. 

"How the-"

"Everybody calmed down. I carried you back to your bed after sunrise. I’ll be here if you need me." She explained. “If you’ll excuse me, I feel like I have a massive hangover." The demoness yawned.

She finished her coffee and returned to her hammock. “Before I forget- Pyro is still at Emily’s, Inugami is passed out in your sock drawer, and Attis is sleeping in your closet. I don’t know where Fenrir ended up."

Something churned under the bed. THUMP.

Akira twitched. The creature sneezed and growled.

"He’s under the bed?" Succubus blinked.

The youth nodded.

"It’s still early. I’m gonna go back to sleep for a bit. Good night." Akira mumbled. 

"Pleasant dreams, ‘Kira." The demoness drawled sleepily.


	11. Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demons showed up one day. They caused pandemonium at first but humans soon got used to them. Demons are an integral part of society now, like it or not... But they're not all bad. So what would happen if the demons started leaving?

_One day, monsters appeared in this world. We can use technology to negotiate with them but they’re never really going away. We’ve just kinda had to accept that. After a while, I stopped thinking of them as weird. They were my friends and allies. It seemed like they were here to stay. But… those who fear the demons still want them gone. And it looks like… they finally got their wish._

Twenty-five year old Emily Vasquez watched the evening news with bated breath.

"…All remaining demons are to be deported back to their home world within 30 days or face extermination."  

"No." She murmured desperately. Her heart sank. She opened her old COMP and checked several news sites. Her inbox began to fill up with upset emails from her friends.

“ _No_." The brunette whispered. _Don’t they realize they’re making a huge mistake? They’ve been here for 17 years, dammit. They’re not all innately bad. Plenty of them get along with humans… That’s not fair._

She quivered in rage and fear.

_Why? This won’t accomplish anything. What’ll happen if somebody hacks a COMP and summons a demon? There’ll be no tamers from union to stop them from hurting people. They’re making a huge mistake._

_  
_Still, one month later, Vasquez found herself on a strange beat up vehicle headed to her demonic companion’s homeland. One of Zeke Rin Suoh’s demons came from this place as well, and so the blond accompanied her.

As the vehicle lurched to a stop, Suoh got up. He paused for a moment and said in a low voice, “I’ll meet you back here after you’ve finished saying goodbye."

Skogsra followed him outside. Emily glanced down at Mothman. The cryptid had fallen asleep beside her.

"Hey, we’re here." She nudged him.

"Hm?" His antenna twitched. He blinked and looked around.

"C’mon, Mothy." She motioned for him to follow. They went outside. 

"We can start mapping the area now, right?"

She felt a twinge of guilt for lying about why they were here.    

"Y-yeah. Let’s get started. I’ll need you to be my guide. The success of the mission depends on you." 

He smiled. “Cool." 

The Wilder led his tamer through his homeland.

"Your home is a-" Emily caught herself. 

"dump." He finished her sentence. 

"So’s the apartment." Mothman deadpanned. He let out a high pitched laugh.

She quirked a grin. The demon had developed an odd sense of humor in the years he spent with her and the guild. 

"I dunno if the air here’s good for humans. Skogsra is from the forest. I guess the trees keep everything cleaner." The moth mused. He sounded worried.

"Tch, it can’t be any worse than living in the suburbs full of air pollution. Or lurking in the dusty library." Vasquez shrugged.

They explored for several hours taking periodic breaks. The COMP’s alarm clock went off. 

"Oh, the sun sets in about 2 hours, apparently." The woman noted.

_I need to tell him. I can’t be an asshole and just leave him behind without a word. This demon has been my friend since I was 15. Our friendship deserves to at least end with ‘good bye.’…_

_  
_She excused herself and slipped away.

_I’m not really abandoning him, right? Mothy deserves an explanation._

Emily ducked behind a tree. She leaned against it and slid down. She rested her chin on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs. 

"I’m sorry." The tamer whispered. Her eyes glistened. She closed them. She shook her head. 

"I’m so sorry." Tears began to fall. She stayed like that for several minutes.

There was a flutter of wings.

"Emily?" The cryptid landed a few feet away from her hiding place.

"Em-iii-lee?" He dragged out the syllables of her name whenever he was excited. 

"Got worried." The demon explained.

"I thought you might’ve gotten ambushed or something. Or fallen in a poison bog." He hopped over and nuzzled her cheek like a cat.

"Dying is not allowed! You’re gonna die before me anyway. Don’t want you leaving sooner."

She wiped her tears. “I’m sorry, Mothy. I-I need to tell you something important before I back down. You have to stay here."

"That dumb law passed, huh?" He mumbled.

The brunette froze. 

"You knew?" Emily whispered. 

"I heard about it… I was kinda hoping I didn’t understand it right, but I guess I did." He grew quite. The cryptid cheeped sadly and nuzzled her again. 

"I’m so sorry." She choked. 

"Not your fault." He chattered softly.  

"Thanks for saving my hide all these years."

"Like a loyal demon should. And you did the same for me."

Emily hugged the little demon.

"You always used to be so much bigger than me. But now you look like a child." The moth noted glumly. “But you’re not a child anymore. So… so be strong, okay? Be strong and brave. Y-you’re the demonology expert for the Mamori clan’s tamer guild . You’re strong. I believe in you, Emily!" He chirped. “I won’t forget you or ‘Kira or Nekomata or anybody else from the guild! I’ll be fine out here. So… don’t worry too much, okay? I hate seeing you cry." 

Vasquez pulled something from her pocket. 

"I want you to have my old watch. It still works, and I know you liked being able to see what time it was." 

He extended a foot. She gently put it on like a bird’s leg band.

"If we meet in the next life, I’d be proud to serve as your demon again, Emily Vasquez."

"Thank you, Mothy." She headed back to the vehicle

She arrived not long after Suoh.

As the vehicle lifted, she noticed two figures waving them off. 

"Hey, Suoh, they’re saying goodbye, one last time." 

The older tamer grinned. 

They waved back at their former demons. 

"They’ll be okay, Vasquez. We’ll be okay, too," Zeke patted her on the shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This made me sad to think about... I had "The time has come (Pikachu's Good bye)" by Marti Lebow and "Sorrow" by Shoji Meguro on loop while working on this vignette. (Mothman and Skogsra's home world was inspired by Sector Delphinus in Strange Journey.)
> 
> This is an AU. I don't think I'd be able to separate the dork and her demon in 'cannon.' Besides, it's probably more plausible that Vasquez would die in battle or retire from the field and become the MegaTen equivalent of a Pokemon professor or something.


	12. Strange girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback of sorts from Emily’s second year of high school:
> 
> Last chapter was rather glum, so here's another attempt at humor.

 

Takeshi Mamori frowned. It wasn’t even 7 am yet and he had stayed up doing work for AP History last night. Thank Metatron the school cafeteria had palatable coffee. He sleepily took another sip.

The boy noticed something moving in his peripheral vision. He adjusted his glasses and turned around. A short girl with a large cowlick waved at him. 

"Hullo, Mister President!" She saluted him.    

"Good morning, Vasquez." He mentally congratulated himself for being able to remember the kid’s name. She didn’t talk much.

As she got closer, he noticed she was wearing a baby carrier.

Stuffed inside the baby carrier was a stuffed… a demon? 

The creature blinked. Its colorful antenna twitched like a pair of dog ears. 

Mamori tried not to squint or stare at the demon. It took him a moment to recognize it as an immature Mothman. The boy still wasn’t sure why it was only a foot and a half tall.

"So…If you don’t mind me asking, why on earth are you here at this hour?" 

"I take the public bus." The girl explained.

"I see. You don’t live near a terminal, then."

"Nope. It’s easier just to take the bus here." 

His green-brown eyes widened for a moment. “D-don’t tell me-" He quickly regained composure. “You rode here with him in that carrier?" 

The underclassman nodded. “I know I have to un-summon him during the school day. But he needs human interaction! He’s like a new dog. A freakishly smart dog that watches Sesame Street, but still. He gets lonely. I  _do_  have a license, y’know? It’s fine. I put him back when the first bell rings and summon him after school." Emily continued. She pulled Mothman out and set him on the bench.

The little demon turned to the boy.

“Good morning!" He chirped.

"Um… good morning." Takeshi patted the cryptid on the head. Mothman made a weird purring sound. Emily tucked the empty carrier into her backpack.  

"If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go grab a coffee." The brunette announced.

"C’mon buddy!" She whistled. Vasquez darted off. Mothman flew along beside her.

_What a strange girl._. Takeshi thought. 


	13. Arietta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arietta. Diminutive form of Aria.  
> Aria. _noun_  
>  _(Music)_  
>  A long, accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.  
> (Basically a short solo with an instrumental.)

A peculiar scratching sound came from Akira’s room.

"Inugami, no!" He scolded. It went quite.

"Stay." Akira ordered. He sighed. “You sure you got him?"

"Yeah." Succubus replied. "Dammit. Bad dog!" She snapped.

A moment later Akira burst out of his room. “Inugami escaped into the air vent!" The boy wailed.

"Is that what all that racket was?" Zeke blinked.

"Yes!" The younger male howled. “I pried the cover off with a screwdriver but it’s a tight fit."

"Bad news, hon. I can’t fit past my shoulders." Succubus fluttered out to join them.

Mamori's palm met his face.

"We need to put a barrier with narrower bars over that vent."

“‘Kira, gimme a boost." Emily ordered.

"Wha? What if you get stuck?!" The raven demanded.

"I’m smaller than you. I’m not gonna get stuck."

Akira frowned worriedly.

"You better make up your mind, Akira." Alma warned calmly.

"Every moment you waste deliberating Inugami is getting farther away." The blonde reminded him.

"Dammit." He hung his head. “Alright, fine. Thank you." The raven mumbled. He braced himself and clasped his hands together.

Emily jumped up into the vent. Her feet dangled.

Mamori pushed her up a bit more.

"Thank you! I’ll be back soon as I grab him!" Vasquez called. She frantically hauled herself through the air vent.

The brunette cringed as she slid downwards.

A dog whined.

"Inugami?"

She had reached another grate.

"Where the- where are we?" The girl blinked.

There was a fluttering of wings.

"Hey! The boss asked me to bring you this screwdriver." Pixie landed beside her.

"Thanks." Emily sighed in relief. She went to work unscrewing the cover.

"Inugami?" She cautiously peered down and tried to estimate how far she was off the ground.

Pixie lightly flew out of the air vent.

"It’s not that far." She noted.

Vasquez carefully crawled out and lowered herself down. She surveyed their surroundings. The room was mostly round, though there was a hallway of sorts. Water dripped from an open pipe and drained through a grate in the floor. The room was chilly and a bit damp. Pixie quietly perched on her shoulder.

"Inugami!" The tamer repeated.

The dog growled and rounded the corner.

"Easy! It’s me." Emily scolded. She held out her hand.

Inugami snuffled for a moment. He snorted approvingly.

The girl patted him on the head.

"Why did you run off?" She murmured.

Emily peeked into the hallway. She pulled her gun out and gripped it with both hands. The hall split into two corridors.

A faint, eerie humming reached her ears. 

Inugami froze. He bared his teeth. Pixie dove into Emily’s sweater pocket.

 Vasquez an eyebrow. She followed the dog’s stare.

"Oh."

Dozens of Slimes gathered at the end of the hallway.

She fumbled for her COMP. She quickly sent a message.

_Do you hear something?  It doesn’t sound right at all and Inugami’s freaking out so I know I’m not hallucinating or imagining things_. 

Akira replied almost immediately.

_It’s really faint. I can barely hear it. The demons seem to be able to hear it better. Boss says come back *now*. Succubus seems to recognize it._

Emily gulped.

_-There’s a swarm of Slimes, like they were attracted here by something. It’s unsettling._

_-Vasquez, Boss is pretty serious. He said you need to get out of there._

Some of the Slimes seemed to notice the newcomers.

_I have no idea what’s going on but that sound is getting louder. They noticed us and I don’t like not knowing what the hell is going on. I’m scared. I’m summoning Mothman._

The cryptid appeared. The mysterious sound intensified. He blankly stared straight ahead. The Slimes seemed to space out for a moment and went back to ignoring them. 

"Mothman?" Emily asked cautiously. His head bobbed slightly, the only acknowledgement that he heard her.

"Where’s that sound coming from?"

"From Hell." He mumbled. The Wilder seemed to be in a trance.

"Mothman, that’s not funny. Please tell me you’re joking?"

He shook his head faintly. “‘m not."

Vasquez paled. “Oh." It suddenly  became clear why the demons were acting strangely, why Boss was so insistent she leave.

_[To be concluded]._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first cliffhanger. I wonder who the ethereal singer could be?...


End file.
